Gensokyo Railway Series 26 (Railway Safety and Emergencies)
by Pergold
Summary: The Gensokyo wilderness is dangerous, but that doesn't mean that the railway should be. The engines learn the importance of the Automatic Warning System (AWS) and learning that the extreme way, isn't always the best.
1. Prologue

Yuyuko Saigyouji was at Yukari's house, she and Yukari were planning for the trip to Sodor. Even though its a business trip, the two wanted to have fun as Yukari didn't want anything on her mind having to do with 'mechanical youkai'.

"Railways, railways, railways..." said Yukari, "There's nothing but bloody railways! Big ones, small ones, that's all there is!"

"But Yukari! According to this pamplet, the North Western Railway, the Skarloey Railway, and the Arlesdale Railway, are the only few railways left to have steam engines in commercial service." said Yuyuko.

"So are we! What's the difference?"

"The Gensokyo Railway engines are only a few years old, these on Sodor are older."

"Great big metallic old hags." grumbled Yukari.

Ran popped her head from around the corner, "Remember Yukari, this is a _business trip_ not a vacation."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, whatever Ran." said Yukari, waving her hand.

The two continued their plans into the afternoon.

Meanwhile, Marisa Kirisame came to see Alice Margatroid, who was now very far into her pregnancy.

"Hello love!" called out Marisa.

"Hello Marisa." replied Alice.

"I heard from Eirin that your due date is coming up." said Marisa.

"Yeah, I know. Its in July."

"Right." said Marisa, "So I heard that Reimu's going away and she needs someone to take care of the shrine."

"Is that so?" replied Alice, "Where is she going?"

"I don't know. Its just some island halfway around the world."

"When is she going?"

"Sometime after July."

"Marisa. I need you to stay over and take care of _our_ child."

"Alright fine, but who can take care of her shrine?"

"I don't know? Doesn't she have an apprentice or something?" asked Alice.

"I don't have a clue, maybe ZUN can and that Thin Shrine Maiden chick can look over it as well."

"Who's this 'Thin Shrine Maiden'?"

"She's the one that writes these books about the engines that live here."

"Doesn't she also write about some of the people involved with the railway?"

"Yeah."

"I don't like her very much, Marisa. She wrote about that time with Yukari shoving those tools up your rear and wrote how we 'conceived' _our_ child! She's probably writing about this very conversation right now!"

"No need to get paranoid." said Marisa plainly.

"Marisa I-AUGH!" Alice was overcome with a contraction.

"Don't worry Alice, I got you."

"Thank...you Marisa." replied Alice.

"That kid's just about to get out. Do you know about the gender yet?"

"I went to see Eirin about it a month ago, but she said her ultrasound equipment hadn't come yet, and I went over last week and she said she still hadn't got it yet."

"Do you at least have a name for him, her, whatever it is."

"No not yet. I'll think of a name whenever I can."

"Right, right...Right..." Marisa said, as her train of thought left, leaving her without words. Sooner or later, once that child is born, Marisa will have more responsibilities other than helping Reimu with the youkai incidents.


	2. Trap Points

The engines where all in the sheds one night, however Kenta seemed upset.

"What's the matter Kenta? Saw Flandre Scarlet by any chance?" teased Hiroto.

"Is not tha-Oh I see how it is, you galloping _kamaboko_!" said Kenta.

"Shhh! No arguing!" hushed Shiro, "Besides, I want to hear what Kenta has to say."

"No its nothing Shiro, just something on my mind." said Kenta.

"C'mon Kenta, just say what's on your mind." replied Shiro.

Now the whole shed was interested in what Kenta had to say.

"Oh its just these barely finished sidings, they start work on a siding, just as they finish the set of points, they stop. Its unsafe and lazy if you ask me." said Kenta.

"Oh, I'm sure they exist for a reason." replied Shiro.

The next day, Shiro saw the Scarlet Controller making changes to the timetable and he took the chance to ask her a question.

"Excuse me sir!" said Shiro.

The Scarlet Controller's charisma nearly broke, "God, you engines scare me sometimes. What is it Shiro?"

"Sir, Kenta complains about unfinished sidings and it got me curious."

"Unfinished sidings? Oh! Those must be the trap points Nitori was telling me about."

"Sir? What exactly are trap points?" asked Shiro.

"Those trap points got installed not only because of that accident at the Hakurei Shrine and the extra money we got from the shrine's ticket sales, but also because of runaway trains. You see Shiro, trap points derail trains that are running away and become dangerous to other engines on that same line." answered the Scarlet Controller.

"But aren't we supposed to stop the runaways, not cause a mess?"

"Nitori and the two 'Chans' want our railway to be more safe, so they say its better to have a mess than have a funeral. Whatever that means, for me it means no blood, for Yukari it means no food, but whatever! The money is nice anyway."

"Sir, thank you for telling me about them." said Shiro.

"Okay Shiro, See you later." and the Scarlet Controller left to have some tea.

"Trap points! Isn't the point to keep the trains _on_ the rails? Not _off_ them?!" said Kenta.

"But the Scarlet Controller told me that they keep humans and youkai from dying in railway accidents!" Shiro tried explaining about the trap points to Kenta, again.

"Rubbish! If they want to derail the trains, they should just let the onis beat the tracks with their _kanabos_. Trap points indeed!" Kenta then left to pick up his next train.

"I think Kenta is tempting fate." said Shiro's driver.

Shiro could do nothing but to agree. The next morning, the firelighter came to light Kenta's fire. It was a human doing it and wasn't familiar with how an engine works besides requiring a fire to work. The human slipped on some ash and tried to grab something to regain balance. The human fell down on the footplate on his bum, but after accidentally touching Kenta's regulator. The firelighter left to start the next engine, who at the time was only Ahiru. Ahiru was feeling his boiler start to warm before seeing Kenta move slightly.

"Watch out Kenta! Your beginning to move!" he called out.

"Oh gods!" cried Kenta, "I really I'm moving!"

Kenta continued to roll down the rails. Luckily, the turntable was set in his direction and he moved onto the turntable, slowly gaining speed.

"Help! Help!" yelled Kenta as he moved out of the shed yards.

Kenta had steam, but couldn't whistle, he tried to jerk around his whistling mechanism, but it was no good. He soon heard Akemi's whistle, he was coming down the line with a goods train.

"Look out Akemi! I've got no crew!" he screeched.

However, before Kenta could get in front of Akemi's train, he suddenly turned a different direction and an audible thud was heard, he left the rails and ended up on the ground of all things, he shortly stopped after hitting the dirt.

"Thank goodness, I've stopped!" he said, relieved.

Some railway workers came to see what had happened. The breakdown train was called to rerail Kenta. His crew came to see him, having heard of yesterday's conversation between Kenta and Shiro.

"Now do you see the importance of trap points?" said his driver.

Kenta didn't say anything, he just looked down at his buffers in remorse. After that, Kenta doesn't complain of "Unfinished sidings" anymore and possibly forever more.


	3. Bad Touch

Hiroto was taking on passengers at the Human Village station. It was his morning express, nothing unusual. It was like clockwork for him, he watched the passengers board the train. However he saw four passengers in particular, they looked suspicious and they scanned the train with their eyes. Just as two women boarded the train, they followed after them. Hiroto's attention to the passengers was cut off by the sound of the guard's whistle. His whistle blew back at the guard for affirmation and soon left the station.

"Come on now, come on now, come on now." he panted, he wished the coaches talked back to him, like Ichihiro's coaches, but he didn't mind.

He rocketed down the line towards the Hakurei Shrine station, he was minding his speed until he heard a loud scream come from one of the coaches, and he suddenly felt the drag of the coaches' emergency brakes. He soon came to a halt.

"I wonder what's going on back there?" wondered his driver.

"Nevermind that, we need to check with the guard first!" replied the firewoman.

Hiroto's crew both went to the back of the train, they saw guard standing with two women who looked unnaturally disturbed.

"What's happened?" asked the driver.

"These two humans here got molested by the other passengers." answered the guard, she continued, "One of them had the confidence to pull the emergency brake cord."

"Damn..." said the firewoman, her voice trailing off into silence.

"Did you see any of the passengers that did this?" said the driver, posing another question.

"These two ladies here are too shocked to tell me what they looked like." responded the guard, "These two will stay with me in my compartment, for the journey back."

"Okay then." said the firewoman, and Hiroto's crew made their way back to their engine.

"What's the hold up, driver!" Hiroto called back.

"Someone got molested in one of the coaches." the driver said plainly.

"It means someone got touched without consent." the firewoman explained.

Hiroto started his way forward again.

"Molested indeed! Molested indeed!" he chanted to himself.

Later, in the sheds, he talked about his incident on the mainline.

"On the JR Western." Ahiru began, "On our commuter runs, we would have separate coaches for the women because this thing happened too often. Your lucky that your passengers were quick to act."

"Yes, I know. But its these same passengers that did it." Hiroto said, suddenly he remembered the four suspicious humans.

"I remember now!"

"Remember what, Hiroto?" said Ichihiro.

"I saw some odd looking humans, I bet they did it." said Hiroto.

"But aside from the extra coaches? What are we going to do?" said Ahiru.

"I think I have a plan." replied Ichihiro.

At Eientei, Reisen Udongein Inaba, had two queer contraptions (at least to the engines), called pistols, Reisen had two of them, and they shot small metal bullets. Ichihiro thought of this and talked to Eirin about it.

"It might be risky." said Eirin, "But if it doesn't work, I can always test my new birth control medicine on her."

Soon it was arranged, the plan worked like this: Reisen would dress in something provocative, something revealing, to try and attract the armorous humans that were on Hiroto's express, and she would try at shoot at them once they revealed themselves to her. Ichihiro took her to the big station and she took her place on the station platform.

"I look ridiculous!" said Reisen, indignantly.

"Don't worry." said Hiroto, who was informed of the plan, "Look there they are now."

The four shady humans mulled about the platform.

"Here goes nothing." said Reisen, taking a few of Eirin's new birth control pill, just in case things went horribly wrong.

She boarded Hiroto's express, and just like that. The four humans went in after her. The guard's whistle blew, "I hope this works." said Hiroto, worriedly.

He got a good start and sped down the mainline towards the Moriya Shrine, he needed the speed to climb over Hiroto's Hill. Otherwise he needed a backing engine.

Meanwhile, Reisen felt her blood pressure rise with paranoia. She breathed heavily as she looked around the coach. Just before she could find a place to sit, she felt someone grab her.

Hiroto was just about to make his way towards the hill that was named after him, when he heard several loud pops and bangs, followed by loud screaming and yelling. The emergency brake came on and Hiroto soon stopped. His crew knew about the plan and ran towards the back of the coach. Scared passengers filtered out of the coaches and started to complain about how unsafe the railway was.

The guard was soon found talking to Reisen, who had several blood stains on her semi-exposed body.

"What happened!" asked the driver.

"I took care of your groping problem and by the way. Never, _never, never_ put _me_ in these situations _ever again_!" said Reisen.

Three of the humans were badly injured and had blood oozing from their wounds. But the fourth was dead, nothing remained of his head, except for his lower jaw. The guard threw up as she dragged the dead body to the luggage hold.

Ichihiro soon came by with Ani and Kuraraberu to take the injured humans as well as a slightly nervous but angry Reisen, away. Hiroto needed a back engine and complained.

That night in the sheds, the Scarlet Controller came to see the engines.

"I commend you all for your vigilance for the safety of the other passengers." she said, but our expression soon turned sour, "But I condemn you all for such dangerous ways to solve things, because of what happened today. Hiroto and Ichihiro, you two will stay in the sheds until you are wanted."

Hiroto and Ichihiro soon started to sulk.

"I'm also reserving the rear coach on all expresses for women _and_ I'm placing a ban on all weapons, except spell cards." she said, sternly.

Ichihiro and Hiroto no longer resort to extremes to solve problems anymore and ever since, no passengers were sexually harassed ever again, mostly out of fear that the "Killer moon rabbit" would soon find them and end their lives. I think you too would be scared of her as well, are you?


	4. Ring a Bell?

After the destruction of the Sanzu Harbor, and further compounded by the accident at the Hakurei Shrine station. Safety has become a primary concern on the Gensokyo Railway. One of the new features brought onto the railway was something called the Automatic Warning System. The AWS is a warning system that rings a bell if an engine passes a signal set to 'danger'. Usually the engines are all well and good with the AWS, as they always stop at when the signal tells them to. But one engine in particular hates the bell ringing in his cab, it was Akemi. He complained endlessly about the constant noise that was made in his cab.

"I hate it! Every time I go to a signal, that ringing noise keeps on going inside my cab!" he complained one day.

"If you weren't rushing through your work, you wouldn't be hearing it." said Shiro.

"Ugh!" grumbled Akemi, but he said it under his breath.

The next morning, his driver was introducing Akemi to someone new.

"This is Shigeru, he is a human and in need of work. I'm to teach him everything that there is to know about driving a locomotive." his driver said.

Akemi didn't mind the new driver, that is, until he got to driving him. Shigeru was new and he was rough with the regulator and tough on the handbrake. Every time Akemi stopped, he seemed to jerk to a stop. When he stopped at a signal with a heavy goods train, he jerked to a stop and the trucks jerked back and pushed Akemi, just far enough to trigger the AWS.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

"AUGH! STOP IT!" Screeched Akemi.

"Fine, fine." said his driver, and she told Shigeru to press a small button on the side of the AWS display, that stopped the ringing.

"Oh thank gods!" said Akemi, relieved.

The next day, Shigeru was to drive him, alone. He climbed into Akemi's cab and started him up. Akemi noticed that he was a little less rough with his controls, but he still jerked about when he stopped. But Akemi also noticed that every time the AWS was triggered, Shigeru would press the button and the ringing stopped.

"Don't get used to pressing that button." warned the firewoman.

"I don't your advice!" said Shigeru, "I can handle this engine fine!"

"Suit yourself, I guess." replied the firewoman.

On the next day, Akemi's usual driver had fallen ill and Shigeru was to be his relief driver.

"Oh crap! Shigeru's back." thought Akemi, "At least I'll have a silent run."

Akemi went to get his morning goods train and made his way to the mainline. Akemi was trundling along the line, until he saw a signal set to 'danger'. The AWS rung and Shigeru, like a well oiled machine, pressed the button.

"But I thought the signal was set _against_ me?" thought Akemi, now worried.

"Driver!" he called.

"What is it?!" said Shigeru.

"I think we passed a 'danger' signal!" said Akemi.

"Don't worry, Akemi. I got this."

Shigeru continued to work the controls until he heard Akemi yell.

"STOP!" cried Akemi.

Shigeru jumped and he applied the brakes hard. Akemi slid on the rails and nearly crashed into the back of Cobol's train. Cobol stopped as well, as he heard Akemi scream.

The Scarlet Controller was furious, "Akemi! What happened here!" she said, angrily.

"My new driver didn't see the signal." said Akemi.

The Scarlet Controller walked over to Akemi's cab and asked for the driver to come out. Shigeru climbed slowly out of the cab, muttering apologies under his breath. The Scarlet Controller saw that he was a human and she grinned evily.

"I see that your a human." said the Scarlet Controller coldly.

"Y-y-y-yes I'm." Shigeru seemed to know who he was talking to.

"Give me your arm." the Scarlet Controller said in a cold calm voice.

Shigeru slowly outstretched his arm, he was scared. The Scarlet Controller bit down on the middle of his arm and started to suckle on the cut. Shigeru held in his scream and gasped once the Scarlet Controller removed her fangs.

"Hopefully, _human_ , that will teach you to cause an accident. We have those safety features for a reason. We will not have _humans_ like _you_ disregarding them." and with that, the Scarlet Controller left.

Shigeru made sure he look at the signals from now on. Akemi also learned the importance of the AWS, and never complained about the ringing noise ever since.


	5. Due Date

Shiro sometimes would be seen taking trains on the Kourindou branch line. He would always stop to talk to the denizens of the Forest of Magic. One of the two magicians that lived there would be there to see him, was Alice Margatroid.

Shiro whistled, "Peep! Peep! Hello Alice, how's the baby?"

"The baby is doing fine." said Alice, her belly was large from how far into her pregnancy had got.

"How's Ichihiro and Hiroto? I heard what happened." Alice said.

"Those two are glad to be back to work, but Hiroto still sulks about it." replied Shiro.

"I best be going, I'm looking for things for when my child is born."

"Goodbye Alice."

"Goodbye Shiro."

Shiro continued to think about Alice, it was early July, it had already been nine months. That's what his driver and firewoman told him how long a baby is 'grown' anyhow.

"Did anyone else see Alice today?" asked Shiro.

"I did." said Hachirou, "She came into Mayohiga in one of those new women-only coaches."

"Did she complain of anything?" asked Shiro.

"She had something my firewoman told me what was called a 'contraction'." answered Hachirou.

Shiro sighed, "She's due any day now."

Alice's due date came sooner than expected, later that week. Shiro pulled a train of shoppers to Kourindou and saw the two magicians.

"Hello Alice! Hello Marisa!" called out Shiro.

"Hello Shi-" suddenly, Alice felt a pain, followed by something wet.

"Marisa..." said Alice, "My water just broke."

Marisa stood silently, she had a feeling of not just excitement for her and Alice, but also the feeling of her whole world coming to an end. An adrenaline rush kicked in inside of her.

"Quick Alice! We need to get to Eientei!" said Marisa, taking charge.

"Shiro! We need to go to Eientei fast!"

"Sure, Marisa. I just need to..."

Marisa used a dampener on her Mini-Hakkero and made a small master spark that destroyed Shiro's coupling.

"Marisa!" said Shiro, firmly. "Look what you did! Now how I'm I supposed to-"

"No time Shiro! We'll ride in your cab!"

Marisa and Alice rode in Shiro's cab as his four driving wheels pounded the rails. Shiro ran through plans and ideas through his head.

"I must make it before Ichihiro leaves." he though.

Shiro whistled and screamed loudly as he plowed into the station yard.

"PEEP! PEEP! Ichihiro! Don't leave yet!"

"I'm not due to leave for a couple of minutes!" said Ichihiro.

He saw Marisa help Alice hobble into one of coaches and soon saw the point. Ichihiro told his driver to leave immediately. Ichihiro soon moved away from the station, leaving behind the guard...yet again.

"We haven't got a guard!" wailed Kuraraberu.

"No time!" said Ani, "We have a pregnant passenger on board!"

Ichihiro and his driver ignored the AWS warnings, the firewoman shoveled as much coal as her body could allow. Ichihiro's whistle wailed as he thundered down the line. The AWS bell rung loudly as he passed the hault station before the Bamboo Forest of the Lost. The bamboo forest flashed by as Ichihiro quickly made the final approach to the station. His driver applied the brakes as Ichihiro skidding into the station, almost overrunning the platform. Marisa was still feeling the adrenaline rush and did not tell Eirin, but rather _commanded_ Eirin to help Alice inside.

"Wow Marisa...I've...never...seen you take charge like that...before." Alice said panting.

Marisa said nothing, but from the look on her face, she was taking this business very seriously. Eirin and Henry Blake helped Alice whilst Marisa stood outside. Fujiwara no Mokou offered her a cigarette to calm her nerves. Marisa took her offer and as she breathed in the smoke. She spluttered and coughed and then took another breath of the cigarette.

After what had seemed like hours, Henry Blake walked out of the operating room and announced that Alice had a baby boy. Marisa came in to see her.

"Alice...are you okay." asked Marisa.

"Yes, Marisa...I'm." replied Alice.

"Are you two married?" asked Henry Blake.

Alice and Marisa just shook their heads.

"Too late for a shotgun wedding, I suppose." said Henry Blake, luckily no one knew what that had meant.

"So what's the name?" asked Eirin.

"I thinking Takara, as he's mine _and_ Marisa's little treasure." replied Alice.

Suddenly, Marisa's adrenaline rush ended, and a deep feeling of dread came over her. She fainted in shock of this realization and fell backwards onto the floor.

"Hold on, Alice. I need to screen your child for anything, as this is the first child born out of those futanari pills." said Eirin.

Using a special device made by the kappas, and the tiniest amount of blood from Takara. The device gave a reading.

"Oh dear." said Eirin.

"What?" asked Alice.

"Your child might have some sort of form of Autism." replied Eirin.

"What's that?"

"Its a type of mental disability, it delays development a bit and sometimes its severe. But from what this thing says, it would probably be some form of high functioning autism."

Alice stared at Eirin, and then began to cry.

"Don't worry." said Eirin, "It'll be alright."

Whilst Eirin tried to consul Alice, Ichihiro was getting chewed out by the Scarlet Controller.

"I will have to shut you in the sheds again, Ichihiro! Running past five signals and running at dangerous speeds and you left your guard behind, AGAIN! What did I tell you about that!" she said.

Ichihiro cringed, luckily Henry Blake came out to see what the matter was.

"Hello. Ms. Scarlet! Are you here to see Alice and her newborn child?" he said.

"Child?" asked the Scarlet Controller, she seemed puzzled.

"Yes. Ichihiro brought Alice and Marisa here." replied Henry Blake.

"But he ran through..." the Scarlet Controller, grumbled as she entered Eientei, she wanted to tell Alice a thing or two about railway safety, but Eirin managed to talk Remilia out of doing any harm to Alice and her baby.

Remilia walked out of Eientei, "So. You've brought Alice here, huh."

Ichihiro said "Yes", meekly.

"Well, I see that this was an emergency, so I'll let this go. But if I see you run at those speeds ever again, its back to the sheds." said the Scarlet Controller.

After a while, Alice brought her child home with her. Marisa is just no beginning to come to terms with this new arrival. Ichihiro was glad not to be punished for helping the two magicians, and Shiro got his rear coupling replaced. Rinnosuke made some models of the engines for Takara, and he would grow up to liking the engines of Gensokyo. The engines of Gensokyo were really fruitful indeed.


	6. Epilogue

Dear, friends.

Its been fun while it lasted, but I have to look over

Reimu's shrine whilst she has gone to Sodor for however

long she needs to be. Me and ZUN will take of her shrine.

But this means I will

be busy, performing my holy duty and I won't be able to write

anything about Gensokyo's fine railway system.

I will get back to writing, and I will promise to write about

Reimu, Nitori, Remilia, Yukari, and Yuyuko and their time

on the island of Sodor, but after that. I would be too busy as

my shrine has gotten more busy because of these books.

Me and my friend will be busy for a while, and I will

write again once the business side of things cool down.

Here's to smooth running and safe journeys.

Sincerely,

The Author


End file.
